Daughter of the Killer
by Star that Shines on Water
Summary: Brokenstar's daughter, Icepaw, tries extremely hard to please her father. She is the leanest apprentice and the quickest to learn, a credit to ShadowClan. Icepaw fears not even the fiercest cat, bearing an aura of fear of her own. Nothing ever gets in her way. Her stare will bring both beauty and fear. But alas, life is the mirror in which everyone shows their true reflection...
1. Prologue

Brokenstar stared around dismissively at the ShadowClan apprentices. They were so soft-hearted and clumsy; how could they ever learn to fight? He growled softly. He made them train early to preserve their youthful strength, and he got _this_.

He padded towards the entrance of his den. These apprentices were a disgrace to ShadowClan. Most of them had weak mentors. Two of them had decent mentors. His deputy, Blackfoot and one of his best warriors, Clawface, mentored two of them, but the strong warriors' efforts were wasted on such mouse-hearts.

The Clan needed kits that were born strong, with the right kind of blood. Neither Brokenstar or his six strong warriors had mates. They saw it as a sign of weakness.

But they were the only ones with the right kind of blood. They would just have to find the best she-cat. Brokenstar contemplated this. Blackfoot and Clawface were too busy to father kits. Jaggedtooth was too lazy. The other three would eventually become weak and give in to fatherly softness. He snorted in disgust. It was him or no one.

Brokenstar padded near the middle of the camp. His eyes scanned the she-cats. Many looked pathetic, chatting to each other. A blur of dark gray, black, and white caught his attention.

The pretty she-cat with her glowing green eyes was chasing a leaf, as if she was once again a kit, but the timing and precision she lashed out at it showed fair strength and quick thinking. A kit who had been watching in awe suddenly leaped on her, in an attempt to catch her off guard in a play fight. Instead, she dodged it with incredible speed and rounded on it playfully.

Yes, Darkmist showed the best traits. The large tom padded towards the young she-cat.

"Darkmist, a word." he mewed coldly, his tone of voice leaving no room for argument. He strode to the entrance of the camp. Darkmist shot an apologetic look to the kit before bounding after her leader's retreating form, bewildered.

Brokenstar stopped in a sheltered and private area place in the forest, surrounded by large, dense pines.

"There is something we need to discuss," he demanded, rather than inform. Darkmist didn't flinch at his emotionless eyes and cold voice, like most would. She simply nodded casually. The lack of fear pleased the dark brown tom.

"You may not be the only one to notice, but the apprentices are weak. If ShadowClan is to survive, they must be strong."

"What does this have to do with me?" Darkmist interrupted.

"I was getting to that!" Brokenstar spat in cold fury, but still, Darkmist did not flinch. He quickly regained his composure and spoke dangerously calmly. "It has come to my attention that either I or my warriors should father a litter."

Darkmist's eyes held a slight smug look but remained silent.

"My warriors are occupied with their own duties, so I believe I shall father a litter."

"And...?" Darkmist mewed, not catching on.

"Out of all the young she-cats in the Clan, you have the most talent and skill needed in our apprentices. You will mother our kits."

Darkmist froze, unable to comprehend what he had just said. Brokenstar continued.

"It will be a service to ShadowClan. All we require is one strong kit, and only us together will let that happen. This kit will make our Clan thrive." Brokenstar meowed.

The tri-colored she-cat stared down at her dainty paws, feeling very awkward. She trembled slightly, unsure of the idea. She looked at her leader. "One litter?" she whispered.

Brokenstar meowed his confirmation.

Darkmist's pelt heated and she nodded.

The leader purred in satisfaction. "Good."

* * *

Darkmist gasped in pain as her first kit fought its way into the world. Her belly rippled and the little kit slithered out and plopped onto the large raspberry leaf. She gazed in horror at it. It was her first time kitting.

"Is it dead?" she meowed frantically. Even though these kits weren't exactly what she wanted, she would still love and care for them.

"It's fine," Runningpaw assured the worried queen.

"As long as you stop worrying!" Yellowfang huffed.

Darkmist hissed in pain as the second kit announced its arrival. She stared in fright as Runningpaw began to lick it gently, encouraging the young kit to take its first breath and to get its blood flowing. Jaggedtooth was licking the first one, annoyance sparkling in his eyes.

After a lot more pain, the third kit left her, leaving her panting hard for breath. Yellowfang nudged the three kits to suckle in the warm crook of her stomach.

Darkmist stared affectionately down at them, only glancing up when Brokenstar entered the nursery. He stared down at his kits with a satisfied look in his bright amber eyes, content that ShadowClan finally had strong kits.

"What shall you name them?" he asked.

She bent her nose to touch the first kit, a dark brown tom with a white ear and paw. "His name is Lionkit," She turned to her second born, a pale gray, black, and white mottled she-kit. "Her name is Icekit," She finally turned to the last, a gingery brown tom. "And this will be Redkit."

"Perfect," Brokenstar mewed simply, before exiting the den with barely any emotion.

Standing off to the side, Yellowfang stepped forward a bit, her eyes looking from Darkmist's three kits to Brokenstar's disappearing figure and back again, interesy sparking in her eyes. Darkmist prayed to StarClan that she wouldn't notice the similarities.

"Darkmist, who exactly is the father?" she asked.

The queen chose to stare at her kits, not meeting the medicine cat's eye. Yellowfang fixed her with a hard stare, but said nothing. When Darkmist chanced a peek at her, she thought she saw a strange emotion in her eyes, looking suspiciously like...regret? She shook it off, noticing it was gone as fast as it was there.

Yellowfang left the nursery without complaint, suspicion crackling from her matted gray pelt, giving her one last look, before beckoning Runningpaw to follow. The medicine cat apprentice dipped his head at the queen and left.

Darkmist sighed in relief and exhaustion and stared down at her precious kits, huddled beside her. She purred softly. She knew despite how much she had grown close to their father, she'd never be with him. But she'd cherish her kits for moons to come.

Or at least, that's what she thought...


	2. Chapter 1

"Icepaw! Stop dithering like a useless kittypet and get over here!" Jaggedtooth spat at me.

I shook my head to clear my head and pushed my thoughts to the back of my head. I was thinking of Redkit and Lionpaw, my two deceased siblings. Redkit had died from the carrion disease, spread to him by other sick cats. Lionpaw had been slain by another apprentice while battle training.

For some reason, my training than most ShadowClan apprentices, as if Brokenstar wanted me to learn how to fight and hunt like a RiverClan, WindClan, and ThunderClan apprentice as well as regular ShadowCLan training.

I followed my mentor, Jaggedtooth, as we padded into the camp, two voles, a mouse, and a frog dangling from my jaws. Father had called a Clan meeting. I quickly dropped my prey on the pile before settling down to hear his words.

Once all eyes were on him, Brokenstar spoke.

"ShadowClan has kits that need food to grow strong, and WindClan refused to accept this. In order to feed our young, we shall attack and take over their territory." he announced.

"The Clan is still to weak for this!" Runningnose, our medicine cat whispered, his eyes clouded with worry.

"Do you doubt my leadership?" Brokenstar's fur began to bristle. He almost seemed genuinely concerned for the health of our kits, yet I clearly knew he also wanted more territory.

"No, Brokenstar." Runningnose murmured, flustered and nervous.

Blackfoot sneered from his place, next to the smooth boulder that my father announced Clan meetings.

Runningnose cast his eyes down shamefully to his gray paws. I _mrrowed_ quietly to myself. Seeing a medicine cat look so timid and self conscious was rather amusing.

"We shall attack WindClan tonight!" Brokenstar hardened his gaze, and a flick of his bent tail signaling the end of the meeting. The Clan dispersed, some of them muttering amongst themselves. I rolled my eyes. Dimwits.

Brokenstar was whispering to his deputy. "Blackfoot, we will take Jaggedtooth and his apprentice, as well as a few other apprentices... to test their strength.

Blackfoot eyes glittered evilly. Oh, father was sly in his way of disposing of the weaker ones. ShadowClan had no room for weakness. Weaklings were to be disposed before the other Clans took advantage of it. That would make us look pathetic.

Brokenstar once blamed our former medicine cat, Yellowfang, for the death of a few kits, forcing the weak, old fool out of ShadowClan territory. She was weak anyway.

"Yes, Brokenstar," Blackfoot nodded eagerly. He padded towards me.

"Icepaw, you and Jaggedtooth will be accompanying Brokenstar and I to WindClan territory tonight, as well as Petalpaw, Whitepaw, Littlepaw, and Grasspaw. Tell them."

I nodded, my eyes gleaming hungrily. Blackfoot seemed to approve of my nature. He stalked away, and I dipped my head to him. I padded into apprentice den.

"Whitepaw!" I addressed the timid black and white tom. "Where are Littlepaw and Grasspaw?"

"On p-patrol." Whitepaw stammered, not meeting my gaze like usual.

"What about Petalpaw?" I asked, beginning to get irritated.

"She's out hunting with Clawface and Tallpoppy." he answered quietly, gazing at ground. After a short pause, he spoke again. "Why?"

"You all are coming to WindClan tonight." I growled.

"Really?" Whitepaw's eyes widened in excitement, his clear blue eyes finally meeting my icy blue for a few heartbeats. His ear tips went red and he stared at his paws again. "Maybe I'll be made a warrior."

"Doubt it, you were only made an apprentice when I did." I tried to meet his eyes, but he looked away. It was as if thought Brokenstar would punish him for looking at me.

But, maybe Whitepaw was more afraid of Brokenstar than Grasspaw or Littlepaw were. Oh well. If one of them were weak during the battle, they would soon be done and over with, and WindClan would take the blame.

Whitepaw usually seemed the same, sometimes even braver than Grasspaw, yet he seemed more shy and timid around me. Sure, I resembled my father a lot, and my personality could be described as cold and frightening, but if that was what he was afraid of, why could the other apprentices not meet my eyes, though they were almost as short lived as Whitepaw's moment earlier. At least they were more often.

I shook my head for the second time that day and cleared my thoughts. "Be ready by sundown, Whitepaw, or StarClan will have a new recruit."

His eyes widened in fear, and he nodded. "Yes, Icepaw."

I sniffed indignantly before retreating out of the den. It felt good to be in charge, ever so good. The other apprentices were to weak to badger me around, to retaliate or protest. I was in charge of this den, and I will be throughout my whole apprenticeship.

* * *

After learning a few battle practice moves and hunting, the sun was soon sinking into the sky, casting a mix of red and orange to befall the camp. Whitepaw was pacing restlessly not far from the entrance of the apprentice den, while Littlepaw, Petalpaw, and Grasspaw gossiped. I rolled my eyes. They were the most into cats, always talking about one cat or another. I often spat threats at them when they gossiped about Darkmist, my mother.

Brokenstar's yowl alerted the five of us. I beckoned the other apprentices with my tail and we padded across the clearing. Brokenstar's eyes gleamed in approval as he watched me lead these cats confidently. "She's a born leader." I would often hear him say to Blackfoot. "She will make a powerful and reliable leader for ShadowClan."

Blackfoot would always agree, and not just because I was the leader's daughter. I was quite popular with the elite warriors.

"ShadowClan!" my father addressed the chosen cats, who had gathered in a ring around their leader. "Tonight, we will fight for the well-being of our kits! We will force WindClan for some of their territory, or drive them out of the forest!

Yowls of approval rose from the crowd, the loudest belonging to Jaggedtooth, Blackfoot, and Clawface, as well as the other strong warriors.

Brokenstar silenced them with a twitch of his bent tail, and stalked towards the WindClan border, us following right behind him.


	3. Chapter 2

Brokenstar flicked his tail for silence as we slowly crept forward. Two shadows stood over a hill, pacing. Those must be the two guards keeping watch. Well, they won't be in a few minutes.

Father fixed Grasspaw and I with his bright amber gaze, gesturing towards the guards. I nodded, beckoning the other apprentice forward. "See the tom? I want you to sneak up on him and tackle him. I'll keep him quiet, and then you kill him. I'll get the other one."

Grasspaw swallowed. "Then what?"

"Just do it." I spat quietly, so as not to alert the guards. He nodded vigorously.

He slid from my side silently, and one of the toms sniffed around cautiously, searching for a lurking enemy, his eyes narrowed.

Grasspaw pounced on him, catching him off guard with the element of surprise. Before the idiot could screech in defiance, I raced over and slammed my paws over his mouth, as Grasspaw delivered the killing bite. We stalked off to the side, pouncing on the other tom, doing the same time, except I killed him.

My eyes widened as he let out a warning screech. Grasspaw didn't silence him well enough! I glared daggers at him, and he shrunk in his pelt. At the sound of the WindClan cat's voice, ShadowClan bore into the camp.

Brokenstar headed straight to the leader's den. To my left, I saw Whitepaw grappling with a more experienced warrior, but Whitepaw appeared to be winning. Grasspaw and Petalpaw were fighting side by side against a skinny queen named Ashfoot. Littlepaw, however, was being overpowered by a bulky tom who I didn't know.

I leaped toward the brown tabby's side. Sure, he was quite weak and wasn't needed in ShadowClan, but I felt that I should help him, to make this charade of disposing him more believable.

With satisfaction, I landed square onto the cat's shoulders, rolling him away from Littlepaw, so he was in clear view of an enemy warrior. I landed multiple blows to the WindClanner's muzzle and head, dazing him. I let him up after sinking my claws in his pelt one more time, watching his cowardly form retreat.

I sprung over the crowd of cats, letting my claws flail so they dragged over the WindClan cats' heads. One of them shrieked in rage, and I recognized the scent of the nursery. It must be the queen I saw earlier, Ashfoot. Petalpaw and Grasspaw were right beside me, fury embedded in their small, narrowed eyes.

Ashfoot turned on me and lashed out, but I expertly dodged her. It confused the gray queen and she spat pathetic threats.

"Are you too frightened to fight me?" she snarled.

I landed just behind her, the queen's flank completely visible. I slashed my claws down her side, and she turned to retaliate with a fierce bite.

"No, are you?" I retorted to her question. I ducked, and her teeth clamped on Petalpaw's throat instead, with a sickening crack. The apprentice died instantly, and Ashfoot stared in horror, the blood pooling on the moorland grass.

In the midst of Grasspaw and the queen's disbelief, I sprang at Ashfoot and bit deep into her ear.

Ashfoot didn't react, her horrified eyes fixed on Petalpaw's limp body.

"Petalpaw!" Grasspaw wailed. He raced to his deceased sister's side, nudging her. "Wake up! Wake up!" For once, sorrow and sympathy found its way into my heart, and I gazed at the apprentice's body in sadness, her head tilted at an odd angle. _Lionpaw_, a voice in my head whispered. I shook it off.

Grasspaw seemed to forget there was a battle raging on, lost in grief for his sister. Ashfoot backed away into the crowd and disappeared. I hardened my eyes and I growled to the petrified apprentice. "Grasspaw, look out, you fool. "Onewhisker's charging at us."

I scented the tom trying to creep up behind me, so I spun around and lashed out over his muzzle. I leaped backwards to dodge his outstretched claws, but they hooked onto my ear slightly, leaving a single line of blood to drip down on my head.

Onewhisker pounced on me, holding me down as I mocked a desperate scrabble, going limp. He slightly loosened his grip, believing he had won. I kicked his stomach forcefully, throwing him off of me before he could retract his claws, and they caught onto Grasspaw's neck. The apprentice gurgled once, and his eyes glazed over, rendering him dead. I met Blackfoot's gleaming eyes, brewing with satisfaction and approval.

He looked in horror at Grasspaw, and prepared to charge at me. Suddenly, the yowl of the deputy, Deadfoot rang out around the camp, signaling retreat. Onewhisker looked confused, and I could almost hear him speak. "How are we supposed to retreat from our own camp?"

I sat as he raced out of the camp, bewilderment seething from the other WindClan cats.

We had won. The battle raged in another Clan's camp, yet we had defeated them. All we lost was two puny, useless apprentices. ShadowClan is well.

* * *

**Thank you guys for the nice reviews! It warms my heart to see what you all think. :3 Thank you again! Here is a chapter in your honor. Sorry it's quite short! .**


	4. Chapter 3

"You're back!" a slightly raspy cry shouted to us as we entered the camp. It came from Dawncloud, one of the elders. Her brown-striped fur was ruffled and her blue eyes were round with relief.

"Of course we're back." Blackfoot grunted apathetically.

She snorted at the deputy and turned her eyes toward me and Whitepaw as we dragged the bodies of Petalpaw and Grasspaw to the center of the camp. Dawncloud stopped abruptly and began to shake. She let out a low, mourning caterwaul. "My kits! My kits are dead!" she wailed in agony.

I spat out Grasspaw's scruff. "They were killed by WindClan," I mewed, struggling not to let myself sound smug. "Onewhisker and Ashfoot."

The queen looked horrified. I guess she would know Ashfoot from the Gatherings. Dawncloud pressed her nose into Grasspaw's cold pelt and did the same to Petalpaw when Whitepaw put her down.

"Petalpaw died bravely, in service of our clan. She will be honored," Littlepaw muttered solemnly. He closed his eyes briefly.

"So did Grasspaw." Whitepaw hung his head, having been good friends with the other cat. I rolled my eyes, but felt the need to say something. The Clan shouldn't suspect that I didn't care at all.

"They will both be accepted into StarClan with pride." I added finally.

Dawncloud looked up at us, dipping her head in gratitude. "Thank you," she murmured.

I nodded as a sinking feeling filled my stomach. It was partly my fault for making an elder grieve for her kits. But I must remain strong; they were useless anyway, right?

"We have won a great battle, and WindClan has been driven from their territory."

I almost jumped as my father's proud voice echoed through the camp. I had missed the meeting call during my exchange with Dawncloud.

"Our kits will be fed, although the moors will offer us minimal food. In the next Gathering, we will ask for hunting rights in both ThunderClan and RiverClan."

"Isn't WindClan's territory enough?" Runningnose called from the medicine cat's den.

"No." Brokenstar answered sharply. "WindClan had the scrawniest cats; no doubt their prey will be the same: pathetic, such as yourself." Father glowered at him, his amber eyes cold and unforgiving. I flexed my claws and dug them into the ground.

I had heard from that old cat, Yellowfang, that Runningnose and his littermates had used to bully Brokenstar as a kit. Now that he was leader, they should be happy that they weren't dead yet. Runningnose stared at his paws shamefully and didn't reply. I felt a surge of satisfaction. In ShadowClan, the medicine cats wouldn't dare challenge _their_ leader.

'It is settled. We will demand hunting rights in both ThunderClan and RiverClan, or they will suffer." Father signaled the end of the meeting with a flick of his bent tail. The Clan began to disperse, and I padded to the apprentice's den.

Several apprentices stared at me with hateful eyes enviously, and others grieved for Petalpaw and Grasspaw. Most of them whispered and narrowed their eyes at me.

"She only got to go because Brokenstar is her father."

"I heard that she's been sneaking around with Blackfoot."

"Yeah, that wouldn't surprise me. I bet they do something else other than training."

"Are you finished with your gossip and shameful lies?" I had sneaked up to them and eavesdropped. They froze in terror, probably not realizing I was there. I scoffed mentally. How would they become warriors if they couldn't scent me?

"We weren't lying, Icepaw." Spiderpaw, the she-cat who disliked me the most, growled. "We all know."

I leaned in to spite her and spoke casually. "Know what? The fact that the elite warriors prefer me over you?"

"That's why the thing between you and Blackfoot makes sense. Wait until Brokenstar learns!" She paced around aggressively.

"Oh, Spiderpaw," I berated her mockingly. "there's nothing going on between the deputy and I. Why would you accuse such a thing? Are you, perhaps, jealous?" I tilted my head, knowing that I was ruffling her fur the wrong way. "My mentor is _Jaggedtooth_, after all."

Spiderpaw snarled in rage, furious that I had once overheard her telling Petalpaw that she fancied the ginger tabby. She swiftly raised a paw to cuff me, but I dodged her blow and tackled her. I curled my lip in disdain, baring my teeth in the beginning of a snarl.

"A warrior thinks twice before she attacks and plots her moves carefully." I hissed, letting her up. Her green eyes flamed in anger as she retreated from the den, her friends scrambling after her. I noticed Whitepaw and Littlepaw staring at me in awe, gaping.

I licked my paw in satisfaction and leered at them. "Trying to eat a tick?" I asked dryly. They kept staring. I ignored them and curled into a ball on my nest. Maybe tomorrow would be better. Maybe.

* * *

**Please don't kill me! *dodges rotten fruits and vegetables* I'M NOT DEAD, don't worry! High school, crashing computers, slow internet, and no inspiration has not been treating me well. Thank you so much for your kindness and patience! ^_^**


	5. Chapter 4

**Hello, reader-chan! :3 I shall resort myself to updating faster for the sake of my typing skills. Thank you s much for the reviews and comments. Let us commence to answering them! Well, ****_I_**** answer ****_your_**** reviews, and... *insert awkward cough here* Um, let's start! ^_^'**

**Birdflame: I'm sorry if this offended you, WindClan is my second favorite clan, next to ShadowClan. I know Icepaw seems Mary Sue-ish, but I won't make WindClan suffer much more, hopefully. Thanks for the review! :D**

**Paper'Scars: Thank chu~! I think everyone has a soft spot for those kitties. :) I agree; I like the idea of the Dark Forest. Hmm, I have a new story coming up...**

**Shiverdream of Windclan: Thank you! Time will tell, I actually don't know myself. :D**

**Embermist's Tales: Yush, chappies will be chappies... Sorry, I have to say this: Embermist is a really good name! I stared at it for a full minute. XD**

**Wood Cats: Thank you, my second guest reviewer! I hope this chapter is good!**

**Thank you all who dropped a comment! I won't keep you waiting any longer. Enjoy!**

_Something rustled. The wind buffed my fur and a stray leaf tickled my nose. I opened my eyes. Where was I? All around were tall, dense trees, and the grass underneath me felt cool and soft to the touch. I padded up to a towering oak tree. There weren't any trees like this in ShadowClan. I reached out my right paw and tapped it in wonder. Why was this wood easier to sharpen claws on than pine trees?_

_A high-pitched shriek sounded from not too far away. Twigs snapped as the thundering sound of footsteps headed towards my left. I pulled my ears back and snarled in defiance, getting into a fighting stance. I parted my mouth open slightly. The sharp, metallic tang of fresh blood washed over my scent glands._

_"Who's there?" I demanded, lashing my tail. The scent of blood grew thicker and my lips peeled back defensively. No one replied. If they were dead, they must have recently been killed. The blood scent was heavy and new. I padded forward cautiously, narrowing my eyes. Reeling back, I stopped abruptly. The grass gave way to a gravelly, uneven substance. A sharp rock had embedded itself in my paw pad._

_I ignored the rock and studied the dark gray surface, immediately recoiling in disgust. It smelled like the Thunderpath, which served as the border for ShadowClan and ThunderClan territory. The acrid scent mixed in with the scent of blood, and yet when I looked, there was no sign of the red liquid anywhere. The only thing out of place was a large shard of ice, laying on the Thunderpath._

_Soon, the ground began to tremble. I clung to it and spread my paws out to keep myself from falling. What was that weird sound? I was rumbling and loud, and it made the ground shake! My eyes widened as a huge monster sped into view as it ran toward me. I growled and began to run from where I came as fast as I could. The monster came closer._

_I screeched as one of its paws ran over my tail and over the ice, shattering it into millions of pieces. Pain spiked up my spine and my legs gave out. Horror began to course through me as the frozen liquid exploded into a bright, slippery puddle of blood._

_"Ice isn't safe from danger." a small, scared voice whispered in my ear. I whipped my head around as blood began to drip and pool around my feet. There wasn't any one behind me. What was wrong with me? The place where my tail was supposed to be hurt really bad, and everything was becoming blurry._

_"Icepaw, get up!" Who was that?_

_I clumsily began to get up and took a shaky step forward, and landed face first into the Thunderpath, grit filling my mouth. Another roar made me raise my hackles as another monster rolled towards me._

"Icepaw!" Jaggedtooth's irritated growl awoke me from my slumber. I shot up and whipped around to look at my tail. Nothing. It didn't hurt. What was that dream? "_Icepaw_!" I turned back and came face-to-face with the angry amber eyes of my mentor.

"Hurry up, we have a Gathering today, mousebrain!" The ginger tabby stalked out of the den. I narrowed my eyes and padded after him. _Why would I forget? _He's _the mousebrain._

The tip of my tail twitched as the cats who were going along stared at me with slight contempt. Brokenstar nodded once as a signal and ShadowClan began to move out. I begrudgingly fell into step with the other apprentices who were going: Whitepaw, Littlepaw, and Spiderpaw. I ignored the she-cat as she stared at me in hostility. I held my tail high and lead them confidently, dismissing the fact that I was the last to get ready. Littlepaw looked mildly excited, Spiderpaw was still glaring at me, and Whitepaw walked with his head low.

"It's an honor to be able to go to the Gathering, especially at our age," I meowed flatly to him.

"Petalpaw and Grasspaw should be with us," Whitepaw sighed.

I scoffed in my head. "It's life. Death is a natural part of it. Be more flexible and try to accept things as they are."

"Well, maybe you should learn to have more compassion for your clanmates!" The tom pushed his muzzle so close that I could her him breathing. I blinked in surprise as he bounded to catch up to his mentor, not looking back.

I swallowed as a chill ran up my spine. My throat felt dry and my paws itched. It was mainly my fault that the two apprentices had died. _No_! I shook my head vigorously. Emotion is weakness. Weakness is not tolerated in a great Clan like mine. Enemies will use emotions against you, and lure you into a trap. They make you soft, cowardly, and blind your senses.

Despite this, my chest area began to ache. Was I sick? Maybe I should let Runningnose check up on me. The scene of Petalpaw's and Grasspaw's death replayed in my mind. Grasspaw wailing at the loss of his sister, and Whitepaw's head hanging low. He shouldn't miss them. It was weakness. But they were fighting for the Clan, even though they couldn't do much... Something was tugging at my heart. _Stop_! Thinking about this will make you as soft as a kittypet!

I focused my mind on the cats before me as ShadowClan poured down the side of the hollow that marked Fourtrees. The fishy scent of RiverClan was the only one I smelled; we were second to arrive. The foul-smelling cats turned to greet us.

"Icepaw," Jaggedtooth slowed down so that he padded next to me. "I'm going to introduce you to some RiverClan cats."

I nodded quickly and followed him as he stopped in front of a stocky, blue-gray tom and a younger tom, probably his apprentice.

"Greetings, Stonefur," Jaggedtooth nodded respectfully to the gray tom.

"Hello, Jaggedtooth," Stonefur asked, staring at me with a friendly gleam in his blue eyes. I immediately liked him.

"Yes, this is Icepaw."

I dipped my head.

My mentor gazed at the brown-ginger tom. "And this is Hazelpaw, I presume?"

Stonefur nodded. "Hazelpaw, why don't you show Icepaw around, since this is her first time at Fourtrees?"

Hazelpaw nodded. "Come with me." He turned around and beckoned me with his tail. I groaned inwardly. I didn't need showing around! I sniffed indignantly and padded after him.

"You don't need to show me anything," I hissed, stalking after the male. He didn't turn around, but snorted.

"Aren't you a ball of sunshine? I'm only doing this because Stonefur asked me to."

"You're letting your mentor push you around?" I asked slyly. "That seems weak."

"You'd know about weakness, being from ShadowClan," I didn't even blink at the insult. "and I want to be a warrior, so I listen to my mentor," he added.

"I doubt earning the respect of the senior warriors is called weakness," I retorted.

"Show off."

"Your opinion."

"Whatever. ThunderClan's just arrived, now we just have to wait for WindClan." Hazelpaw raised his tail in greeting to a cat from ThunderClan, but I was too busy _mrrowing_ in amusement to notice. _Wait for them all you want, but they aren't coming._


	6. Chapter 5

**Hi guys, sorry for not updating in a while again. =_= Lack of inspiration works wonders, doesn't it? (notice the sarcasm) You guys are so patient that I want to cry, but I have no idea why. Wait, didn't I just say that ****_because_**** you guys were patient? Oh hey, that rhymed! *stares off into space***

***cough* Let's get onto the review answering, shall we? ^_^'**

**Birdflame: Thank goodness! *wipes imaginary sweat off face* (I'm weird, so I get relief over strange things, just ignore me if I get overboard. :3) Oh, and Hazelpaw will be surprised. Very surprised.**

**Spottedmist: Couldn't have said it better myself. :D**

**Embermist's Tales: I've laughed out loud many times that my mom looks at me like I have a screw loose these days. But seriously, the name...**

**Shiverdream of Windclan: All I have to say is thank you! 3**

**Wood Cats: THANKYOUTHANKYOUTHANKYOUTHANKYOUTHANKYOUTHANKYOUTHANKYOU**** I hope thanked you enough. I made a weird noise when I read your kind words with my throat and my older sister was like "I know that you're insane, but please keep your randomness to yourself". Honestly, I have no idea what Icepaw's going to do with her love life. I write all of my stories organically (not planning the end, but instead letting each chapter write itself each time) so I don't know if she'll even settle down. But then again, who knows? *wink wink* Oh, and as for the future, the end is just the beginning...**

I turned around as Littlepaw padded up to me and the RiverClan apprentice. What did the little runt want?

"What's taking WindClan so long?" he asked.

Hazelpaw sneered. "How would I know?"

I grunted in approval, shooting the tiny apprentice a meaningful look. He was useful for _something_ at last. Littlepaw nodded at the unspoken message, leaving to hobble over to a group of cats nearby. I recognized the sweet smell of the ThunderClan medicine cat, Spottedleaf, and the weird smell of Twolegplace. My nose wrinkled as the source of the smell, a fiery-pelted apprentice sat down.

So this was ThunderClan's newest apprentice? A kittypet? Huh, their dignity's gonna suffer. He still smelt of the tangy Thunderpath along with with the strange smell of the Twolegs. Ugh.

I padded up to them, finally getting rid of Hazelpaw, who had wandered off. Littlepaw better not be exposing any secrets of our Clan.

"If TigerClan still roamed these forests, we would hardly have made our territory here either," Spottedleaf commented.

"What's TigerClan?" Littlepaw asked from beside the ginger kittypet.

"TigerClan was one of the great cat Clans that used to roam the forests," a bulky, gray apprentice smelling of ThunderClan answered, amber eyes thoughtful. "TigerClan had cats of the night, big as horses, with jet black stripes. "Then there was LionClan. They were..."

"Oh! I've heard of them!" Littlepaw bounced slightly as he sat. I bet he wanted to impress the older apprentice. "They were as big as TigerClan cats, with yellow fur and golden manes like rays of the sun."

The gray apprentice nodded and narrowed his eyes, as if trying to remember something. "And there was another one, SpottyClan or something like that..."

"I suspect you're thinking of LeopardClan, young Graypaw?" I turned around to see a cat with a golden pelt. He must be Lionheart, an experienced tom of ThunderClan.

"You are a ShadowClan apprentice, aren't you?" Lionheart gazed down at Littlepaw with kind eyes. "How old are you?"

"S-six moons," Littlepaw squirmed, staring at his paws uncomfortably. _There goes the tiny bit of respect I had for him_, I thought, rolling my eyes.

"Awfully small for six moons," The golden tom remarked gently.

"My mother was small too..." Littlepaw murmured uneasily, backing away and disappearing into another crowd of apprentices.

Lionheart muttered something about Littlepaw that I didn't catch. He turned to Graypaw and the kittypet. "At least he was curious. If only you showed as much interest with the stories your elders tell."

His words sent them racing towards the same group of apprentices that Littlepaw had disappeared into. I followed out of mild interest. Why would ThunderClan permit a kittypet into their ranks? I halted, watching the group of cats. A ThunderClan apprentice, skinny, jet black tom with white on his chest and tail, was telling a story. His tongue was so descriptive and his amber eyes full of passion that I couldn't help but admire his story-telling skills, despite the fact that it wouldn't help him survive.

"Who new that Ravenpaw was such a good story-teller?" Graypaw muttered to both himself and the kittypet. The ginger cat didn't seem to hear his words, though, his green eyes troubled. Curiosity spiked through me. Was Ravenpaw's words bothering him in a way?

I followed the kittypet's stare, finding smoldering amber eyes directed right at Ravenpaw. Rage burned deep in his eyes, lips drawn back in a snarl. Tigerclaw of ThunderClan, mentor of Ravenpaw. What did his apprentice do to anger him so?

They said that Tigerclaw was a bold and brilliant fighter and that he was well-respected. He had a dark brown tabby pelt and a glare that could send even the bravest cat wailing to their mother. I scoffed in my head. Not me.

I allowed a steely glint to enter my eyes, staring down each cat in front of me. I knew that father was studying me, proud of me. I hoped he was satisfied. Brokenstar had trained my siblings and I ever since kithood, but the two of my siblings hadn't lived up to his expectations. They had been too soft. Whatever, ShadowClan didn't need weaklings to begin with. Lionpaw had begun to question father's teachings. That's the reason he died, the ignorant fool. If my two littermates weren't strong, then I would be strong enough for both of them.

I stood and stretched my mottled frame, closing my eyes softly. I turned to Hazelpaw, who had caught up to me at the last moment. Crookedstar's voice rang out. "Let the gathering begin," I purred delightedly.


	7. Important!

**Heyy, guys... :') Been a while, hasn't it? I'm so, so, so sorry; I didn't mean to completely neglect this site, and I sincerely apologize for those of you that have stuck with this terribly-written fanfiction...**

**I'm half-in and half-out of the Warriors fandom, but I know how it feels when you're reading something and the writer pushes it to the side, never knowing what happened to the story. So for all of you lovely people, I've chosen to rewrite this li'l thingy into a better version, and I'll link it in the next A/N as soon as possible.**

**Love ya. 3**

**~Star that Shines on Water**


End file.
